This invention relates to camping trailers and, more particularly, to a camping trailer which is collapsible between opened and closed storage positions.
Camping trailers or campers have been designed in many configurations over the years. One popular design is a camper which is pulled behind an automobile and has a collapsed height which is less than the height of the top of the automobile trunk. This allows the driver of the automobile to see out of his back window without obstructing his view as is normal when pulling a full-size trailer. At the campgrounds, the camper is opened up. Frame supports are placed over the supports forming an enclosed camper. In this type of design, the only rigid wall of the camper is the floor. All other sides and roof are canvas.
Another type of camping trailer is similar to the above-mentioned type except it has a rigid roof. When in the collapsed position, the camper is substantially the same size as the previous described design, thus giving the driver of the automobile the advantge of being able to again use his rear window. When this camper is to be opened, the roof pops up and is supported by means of braces at its corners. Canvas is still utilized to form the sides of the camper. Entrance to the opened camper is accomplished by a zippered door which allows the user to part the canvas allowing him to enter or exit.
There are various problems associated with campers of the described prior designs. One shortcoming is that when the camper is in the collapsed position, it generally does not allow or permit additional storage of articles on top of the collapsed camper. This is generally a result of the design of the collapsible top. Normally the top and sides are collapsed into a central area of the collapsed camper which results in the top of the collapsed camper being substantially the same height as the sides of the trailer frame. This is also approximately the height of the trunk of an automobile.
Another problem associated with the campers of the prior art is that they do not use a substantially rigid panel for any of the side walls. It is preferred to have solid panels for the roof and at least one side wall to add structural stability to the opened camper. Another related problem is that prior campers do not have a solid, lockable front door but rather usually rely upon a zippered canvas as an entrance or exit.
When it was desirable to tow the camping trailer behind a car and also bring along several two-wheeled vehicles, carrier devices which would support these two-wheeled vehicles normally had to be hung from the back of the camping trailer. Quite often only one two-wheeled vehicle could be added by means of hooks or similar devices to the camper. At other times, hooks could be added to the front of the towing vehicle if it was a truck, but this would at times interfere with the driver's view of the road.
The present invention is directed to a camper/trailer which has a rigid panel which serves as a solid roof when the camper is in the opened position, and serves as a flat storage bed for wheeled vehicles when the camper is in the closed position. There is a rigid front panel which collapses and is stored between the camper floor and the top panel when collapsed to the stored position, and opens to provide a solid panel which has a door when the camper is in the opened position. The design also permits the top panel to fold down very close to the trailer frame. Thus wheeled vehicles or other objects can be placed on the top panel when in its closed position without unduly interfering with the driver's rear view and without raising the center of gravity of the trailer to such an extent that the trailer or stored objects are unsafe.
There are also provided corner supports to give added structural support to the top panel when the trailer is opened. The corner supports pivot to a flat position along the camper floor when the trailer is collapsed. There are also storage compartments with removable tops along each side of the trailer. When the camper is to be opened, the storage compartments are opened and canvas material is drawn out from the storage compartments to the raised top panel thus forming side walls. A short ramp is also provided from the trailer to the ground so that the stored wheeled vehicles can be rolled off the top panel when the camper is collapsed. The ramp also is provided with a collapsible step to allow the user easy access into and out of the camper.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a camping trailer which is collapsible from an opened position to a collapsed storage position.
Another object is to provide a collapsible camping trailer which has a dual function rigid panel which serves as a roof in its opened position and as a storage bed when in the collapsed storage position.
Another object is to provide a collapsible trailer which has a rigid panel for one of the side walls which also collapses to a substantially flat horizontal position when the camping trailer is in the collapsed position.
Another related object is to provide a camping trailer which has improved structural strength as compared to those in the prior art, yet takes up less space when in the collapsed storage position.
Another object is to provide a camper with storage compartments along its sides so that the roof can be stored adjacent to the trailer floor thereby providing additional storage area when the camper is in the closed position.
Many other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the invention.